The Secret Life of Pets knocked Finding Dory out of the number one positioning this past weekend, but that's no real surprise. It looks really good and I can't wait to see it! BFG, despite the supposed great critic reviews, wasn't even in the top five and with more animated features like Ice Age: Collision Course coming out, it's too late for a comeback.

This week we will take a look at some future animated feature films coming down the pipeline, a handful boasting unique and interesting art styles. Will any of them come out on top at the box office?

Phantom Boy - Teaser Trailer (7/15/2016):

Phantom Boy may not be a number one blockbuster, it's kind of hard to do with a limited release, but from what I've read it has a good story with a lot of heart. It seems a wheelchair-bound boy with a power similar to Astral Projection assists a wheelchair-bound detective solve a case. I'm unfamiliar with the directors (Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol — A Cat in Paris) or voice actors (Edouard Baer — The Story of My Life, Jean-Pierre Marielle — Micmacs, and Audrey Tautou — The Da Vinci Code), and the animation style isn't one I'm crazy about, but if there is a sound story that manages to be engaging and touching, I'm in. And not touching as in pervy touching... just saying... Phantom Boy seems a little stalkerish of the girl in the taxi...

Considering I won't be able to see this in theaters, I hope it hits Netflix and/or Redbox.

The Little Prince (8/5/2016):

I came across this trailer a while back and thought the movie looked really good. Like a handful of those featured today, there is a mixture of art styles that aren't very common in most mainstream animated films (stop-motion). I have to admit, I'm not very familiar with the book, so I don't have that personal attachment others may have to the story. However, the trailer lays out a very emotional story that I'm almost certain to be drawn into. It also features a fitting song as well.

The Little Prince features the voice acting of Jeff Bridges (Surf's Up, Seabiscuit), Rachel McAdams (About Time, The Vow), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man, Role Models), and Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), to name a few. This has a Netflix stamp, so I'm not completely certain if this is a theatrical release, or a Netflix exclusive. Either way, I look forward to seeing it!

Kubo and the Two Strings (8/19/2016):

At first I was turned off by the animation of this movie. I'm not sure why, but it was akin for my disinterest in the style used in The Book of Life. After another viewing, though, I quickly warmed up to it (as I did with the aforementioned movie). This really seems like a really fun animation. I chose the teaser trailer, but you can find a much more in-depth look at the story with the full-length trailers. I prefer the subtle hints at the story and brief character introductions the teaser provides. It also sounds like it will have a really sweet soundtrack!

This is Matthew McConaughey's (Mud, The Lincoln Lawyer) debut in an animated project. I watched an episode of The Talk where he was a guest, and he said he mainly did it for his children, which is fairly common for many actors being involved in animated features. Charlize Theron (MadMax: Fury Road, Monster), Rooney Mara (Her, The Social Network), Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, Schindler's List), and George Takei (Mulan, Star Trek) round out some of the other talent tapped for the film.

I'm really curious how well this does in theaters. Despite my original reaction, I feel it offers a fresh style.

Trolls (11/4/2016):

I suppose it was only a matter of time before these little creepy dolls got their own animated movie and/or TV show. Okay, maybe not extremely creepy like porcelain doll creepy, but still. To this day, my mother still loves these things, so hopefully she sees this trailer. Despite my personal feelings about the Trolls toyline, it's really hard to go wrong with DreamWorks. I can't help but think this is going to do really well in theaters. The animation is cute, colorful, and the movie looks funny. I get an odd Fraggle Rock vibe (when is that movie coming?!) from the storyline. The soundtrack should be top notch with the musical talent involved. It's definitely going to pull in kids and they likely already have a plan set into motion for reinvigorating the dolls just in time for the holiday season!

Anna Kendrick (Cake, The Last Five Years), once again being everywhere, heads up the voice acting cast, along with Zooey Deschanel (The Driftless Area, Elf), Russell Brand (Arthur, Get Him to the Greek), Justin Timberlake (Runner Runner, In Time), and Gwen Stefani (The Aviator, Zoolander), plus so many more.

I may see it in theaters... Maybe...

Moana - Teaser Trailer (11/23/2016):

I don't know anything about the demi-god Maui, beyond the recent controversy of the film depicting him as fat (really?), but if anyone was going to voice a demi-god, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Hercules, Pain & Gain) is a fitting choice! I feel he's already proven his comedic chops and it's always a delightful reprieve from his standard issue badassness (though, best when mixed). Not much is given in the sense of plot within the teaser trailer, but it obviously involves Maui, a woman named Moana (introducing Auli'i Cravalho) who is seeking a fabled island, and a pig...

This is NOT the Moana you are looking for!

It's Disney, has top notch animation, and will likely have a beautiful soundtrack. Plus, Alan Tudyk (Con Man, Firefly) is on board for some undisclosed character voicing! This is a great teaser trailer and I'll be hoping to see this in theaters.

Also, don't mistake this movie for the one featured to the side (I randomly came across when looking it up on IMDb), that's definitely not the right film!

Sing - Teaser Trailer (12/21/2016):

Again, another teaser trailer when there are about three other trailers to pick from, but those trailers are almost 3-5+ minutes long! Why the hell are they so long?! Anyhow, this is basically an animated version of American Idol or The Voice among the animal kingdom. It looks really cute, as most animated animal characters tend to be, and it's going to be chock full of pop culture and popular songs we've been barraged with over the past decade. But even if sick of them, you'll surely be open to hearing them sung by animals. I know I am!

Surprisingly, it seems that most of the musical artists were tapped for Trolls, while Sing features the voice talents of Scarlett Johansson (The Prestige, Lost in Translation), Matthew McConaughey (who apparently wanted to double down on movies suitable for his children to watch!), Reese Witherspoon (Wild, This Means War), Nick Offerman (Knight of Cups, A Walk in the Woods), Seth McFarlane (Ted, Family Guy), and John C. Reilly (Guardians of the Galaxy, Wreck-It Ralph). Okay, so a good handful of them aren't strangers to singing and/or animated features. I just found it odd that there wasn't more well known singers (like Timberlake and Stefani) attached to the project, when the basis is a singing competition. Maybe there are and I'm just not familiar?

Either way, I'm sure this is going to be a very successful family film and it lands just before Christmas!

Did any of the animated features interest you? Does the animation of Phantom Boy interest you or turn you away? I'm not sure if his power is Astral Projection, but are you familiar with it? Ever experience it? Are you familiar with The Little Prince? Are you excited for the animated film? Does the story of Kubo and the Two Strings intrigue you? What about the animation style? Did you ever (or do you) collect Troll dolls? What did you think of the Trolls trailer? Do you know the demi-god Maui? Any idea why there is controversy over Disney's depiction? Have you entered, or have you ever wanted to enter, a singing competition? If so, what was the experience like? Are you familiar with or a fan of any of the songs/artists featured in the Sing trailer?

It’s been a long while, so I thought I would give a brief look into the reason(s) behind my absence. You’ll have to forgive my potentially awkward, stilted jibber-jabber. It may take some time for me to get warmed up…

Dreams in the Shade of Ink is back with more Flash Fiction for the A to Z Challenge 2017! Last year my segments throughout April painted a puzzled tapestry of prose and I hope to provide some new, entertaining stories that you'll enjoy!

recent META

The A to Z Challenge 2017 is over and it's time to reflect on how the event went! There were booster pack openings, there were storylines and mechanics to observe within the world of Magic: The Gathering!

Join me as I discuss the ups and downs of this year's Magic Mixer theme.

This year for the A to Z Challenge 2017 Meta MTG presents the Magic Mixer! What's that mean? Your guess is as good as mine... What I do know, however, is that this year's theme is obviously still all about Magic: The Gathering!

Join me as I attempt to highlight a different Magic set each day of the challenge in different ways, from pack openings to discussions about a set's storyline and/or mechanics!